


live our life like we know we could

by moonrunes



Series: Love Like Fools [2]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25009444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonrunes/pseuds/moonrunes
Summary: Adjustments to a new relationship, general X-Men bullshittery, and other fun things. Happens after the events of "if you don't mind me saying so (i love you)," title is from MIKA's "Feels Like Love," and updates every Thursday
Relationships: Roberto da Costa/Sam Guthrie
Series: Love Like Fools [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796362
Comments: 23
Kudos: 25





	1. Debriefing

**Author's Note:**

> me: i'll see you in two weeks!  
> me, immediately: *loses track of time*  
> welcome back! i hope to see familiar usernames in my notifications, and i'll be glad to see you again!

“The police took Jefferson into custody for RICO charge, of all things-”

“Figures,” Logan grumbled. “Got Capone in on tax evasion.”

“Mhm. Anyways, there _might_ be splinter organizations, but considering how Sword/Key was a splinter from the Hellfire Club in the first place, it’s highly unlikely.” Dani tapped the presentation remote against the palm of her hand, Scott watching silently from behind her. “So. Any questions?”

“Do you think I’ll get my apartment deposit back?” Roberto called from where he sat next to Sam and Sam hid his laugh in a cough, avoiding Dani’s glare.

“Any _relevant_ questions?”

“That _was_ a relevant question,” Roberto protested under his breath, pouting, so Sam reached over and squeezed his hand under the table, running his thumb across his knuckles. The change in his demeanor was instantaneous and he gave Sam a smile, so bright and blinding that Sam completely missed the last part of Dani’s presentation on the mission. He snapped back only when chairs scraped against the floor and the other X-Men filed out, many of them pausing to exchange quiet words with Scott or to pat Dani gently on the shoulder, congratulating her on a mission well run. Soon enough, there were only five left in the room.

“Do you want us to leave…?” Sam ventured, but Ororo smiled and shook her head.

“Stay, if Dani wants you to stay. Dani?”

She didn’t need to say it out loud -- just a look, and Sam settled back into his seat with Roberto’s hand in his, watching Scott and Ororo take their places at the table. It reminded him of some movie or other, like parents about to have a serious discussion with their teenage daughter.

“You’ve done remarkably well,” Scott began, looking through pages in a manilla file, and Sam didn’t need to see Dani’s face to know that she disagreed. 

“You don’t think so.” It wasn’t a question. Ororo tilted her head, observing Dani calmly, and Dani shrugged.

“They got captured. It took way longer than it should’ve. Trapped in a crawl space, Sam broke his leg, they almost-”

“Yes. But neither of them died.” At this, Ororo leaned across the table, taking Dani’s hands in hers. “Take the victory for what it is, Dani -- a job well done. A mission such as this one where everyone walks away safely is something to celebrate and be proud of.”

“Speaking as one of the not-dead parties, Dani, you did great.” Sam could hear Roberto’s sincerity beneath the joking tone, and she could too -- Dani smiled, embarrassed, looking down at her hands and scoffing. 

“Shush. Thanks, Ororo. What’s next?”

“Well, I can say you’ve done wonderfully in my training.” Scott closed the file and reached out, shaking Dani’s hand. “I’m not the only one who’s ever led the X-Men, though, so I’m passing your studies along to Ororo for now.”

“My leadership course.” Ororo smiled again, as beautiful as a sunny day. Scott nodded to Sam -- a silent request to leave -- and so Sam and Roberto made their exit, waving to Dani as the door closed behind them.

As they walked together in silence, nothing that needed to be said for the first time in a while, Sam thought briefly about how he would’ve liked to hold hands with Roberto as they walked down the hallway. Bound for different locations as they were, of course they’d have to let go eventually, but still Sam let himself entertain the possibility before pushing it to the back of his mind with a sigh.

“Something wrong?” Roberto sideyed him, bumping Sam’s shoulder with his own.

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Sam smiled at that despite himself. “Yeah. Tell you later?”

“You better.”

All too soon, they reached the point in the hallway where they would part ways and Sam hesitated, eventually settling for a smile and a wave as Roberto disappeared down the flight of stairs that would take him to the Danger Room. Sam stared after him for a long moment before turning towards the library, thinking hard.

No one except Dani and Xuyen knew about them together -- not because Sam was afraid of pushback, but more out of a nebulous fear that always accompanied vulnerability of any kind. And if the X-Men knew, it was only a matter of time before the fact was plucked from someone’s brain and used by some enemy, old or new, to make their lives difficult. He’d listened to Kyle complain about being kidnapped enough when they met for book club -- he had no intention of having Roberto go through the same thing.

Plus, there was the fact that, if he told Paige or Jay or any of the others, he’d have to tell his mom.

Sam grimaced, not caring that the students heading the opposite way gave him weird looks. As much as he tried not to think about it, the scenarios sat in his mind like a screensaver, popping up whenever he wasn’t actively thinking about something else. Over and over, he played through possible events -- would she reject him outright? Justify it with the words of a dead man? Protect her feelings by denying his own?

The possibilities were horrible and endless, and no matter how hard he tried to get it out of his mind, they persisted, his eyes glazing over as he read the same paragraph again and again.

“You look riveted.” Someone pushed his shoulder and he looked up, first at the library cart next to the table he’d chosen and next at Xuyen, smiling gently at him.

“I am, can’t you tell?” He yawned and she sat down across from him, one hand on the old cart (probably so it wouldn’t roll away, he thought). “It’s by far the most interesting book I’ve ever read.”

“More so than Heinlein?”

Sam laughed and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms and rolling his neck. “Couple years ago, I might’ve said no, but I’m hoping to expand my horizons a little bit. Got any recommendations?”

“I’ll have to get back to you on that.” Xuyen’s expression changed -- an all-too-familiar look of concern that he was tired of seeing, if only because he knew how stressful it was for her. “Not to change the subject, but are you okay? I don’t need to be a telepath to know that something’s wrong.”

_Where do I begin?_

“Not wrong, necessarily.” Sam rubbed a page between his thumb and his forefinger. “You went to college in Chicago, right?”

“Yup. Thinking of going on vacation in the Windy City?”

“Not exactly. What was college like? Actual college, I mean, not just pretending for a mission’s sake.”

The concern dropped away, replaced by a gentle sort of pride. “It was...well, you know. Exhilarating in places, grueling in others. May I ask why?”

“Eh. Just wondering.”

He knew that wasn’t all it, and she knew that wasn’t all it, but Xuyen didn’t press it. Instead, she patted his hand gently with a smile and stood up again, her leg creaking slightly. “Okay. Let me know if you ever want to talk.”

“Will do.”

The cart creaked as she walked away and Sam watched her go, the momentary idea he’d just had taking root in his brain and displacing all worst-case scenarios having to do with his mother and his boyfriend (boyfriend! It was still so hard to believe). Xuyen disappeared around a bookshelf and he sighed and looked down at his book again, the words coming into focus before slipping out again. 

_Maybe I need glasses._


	2. Brusque Husk

Paige Guthrie couldn’t see Jubilee’s eyes from where she stood at the control panel, but she could tell that Jubilee was rolling here eyes _again_ , for the fifth time in as many minutes. “ _What_ are we looking for again?”

“Suspicious behavior.” Paige leaned forward as if it would somehow increase her powers of perception, though the people in the Danger Room didn’t become any bigger or clearer. “Anything out of the ordinary.”

“I see something out of the ordinary.” Monet flicked a speck of nonexistent dust off her leather boots, propping them up on the table and inspecting them though all three of them knew there was nothing on them. “Oh, I know. It’s the X-Gene. Problem solved, Paige, we can go now.”

“ _Guys._ ”

“I don’t even know what constitutes weird behavior! He’s been gone for like, seven months or something!” Jubilee tossed up her hands, little sparks popping in the enclosed space, and Shogo’s eyes grew wide as he reached for them with chubby baby hands. “That’s literally forever in X-Men time, Paige -- people have died and been resurrected in less time.”

“Yeah? So what? Listen, I just asked you guys if anything seemed weird about the way he was acting.”

Monet scoffed, still not looking up at either them or the people in the Danger Room. “Tell us the real reason, Paige. And don’t bother lying.”

“Why would I-” Paige groaned, sitting down and running her hands through her hair, looking up with a smile only when Shogo patted her shoulder. He gurgled and smiled back, removing his hand and stuffing his entire hand in his mouth, and she sighed.

“I’m just -- I’m just worried.”

“About?”

“Sam.”

Jubilee mulled it over for a second, bouncing Shogo on her knee. “Reasonable. I mean, it kinda feels like he’s ignoring the fact that his leg is still in a cast-”

“No, Sparky, not that. I’m worried ‘cause I thought Roberto was acting weird and I don’t know _why_ and I’m not sure what really happened on the mission ‘cause Dani didn’t tell me and every time I try to corner Sam-”

“He deflects.” Monet sounded as bored as ever and Paige tried not to feed the spark of irritation in her brain. “So what? Some dude in his twenties is acting weird -- that’s nothing to call home about.”

“I just want the truth.”

“Corner him outside after the Danger Room session.” Jubilee crunched loudly on pretzels, shooting Paige with finger guns. “Be all rough and tough and demanding to know the truth.”

“Is that a good idea?” Finally, Monet looked up, arching one perfect eyebrow at Jubilee, and she shrugged. 

“Works enough for Wolvie and Scott.”

“But I don’t wanna just go in with -- with assumptions. Like I don’t want to intrude.” Paige propped her chin on her hands and watched the session, keeping her eyes trained on Roberto. “I just don’t want to make things weird.”

“Things are already weird. This is weird.”

“Not like, weird with us, Jubes. Weird with whatever’s going on with Sam.”

Monet sighed and the sound echoed back at them from the walls, the drama intensifying as it went. “Please just ask him and stop thinking about it so much. You’re giving me a migraine and I have a photoshoot later today-”

“ _I have a photoshoot later today_ ,” Jubilee mimicked, moving Shogo’s little arms along, and even Monet smiled at that. “You better get going, then, M, before Paige’s logic circles smear your makeup or something.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Telekinesis. Ooooo.” Shogo laughed, not seeming to care at all about Jubilee’s masterful puppeting of his chunky arms, and Monet bopped him gently on the nose on her way out. 

“Whatever. See you later.”

They waved as she closed the door behind her and Jubilee rolled her eyes yet again when Paige immediately turned back to the window. “Come _on_ , Paige. We can go wait out in the hallway -- the program can run itself.”

“You can go, ‘m okay.”

“Hmm. Actually, I’m going to wait with you and then make sure you don’t, like, break poor Roberto’s hand or something.”

“What? I would never-”

A stern glance from Jubilee silenced Paige for a solid five seconds before she cleared her throat. “Yeah. Fair.”

In the room below, the training session ended. Paige took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, bopping Shogo’s nose on her way out.

“Good luck!” She looked back to see Jubilee waving Shogo’s arm at her and she smiled, waving back before the door to the control booth closed behind her and the door at the bottom opened, revealing the sweat-soaked X-Men as they made their way to the locker rooms, comparing strategies and thoughts in mutters.

She cleared her throat again. “Hey, Roberto, can I, uh, talk to you? For just a second?”

Roberto looked up with a start. “What? Oh. Sure.”

The others moved on ahead and Jubilee followed them from the booth, shooting Paige a thumbs up as she ran off after the others, and soon enough, they were alone with their silence in the hallway.

“So...what did you want to talk about?”

“What are you up to?” It came out more aggressive than Paige wanted it to and she internally cringed but pressed onward, lava popping under her skin like the world’s weirdest zit. “What happened on the mission -- _what_ are you hiding?”

“Ah! I’m not hiding anything!” Roberto hopped backwards to avoid it and Paige took a step forward, the skin on her left arm burning away. “I swear! Please don’t make me fight you, Paige-”

“I don’t want to fight you either.” That was a lie -- Paige did kind of want to fight him, just a little, just if he’d done anything to hurt her big brother. “Just tell me what’s going on between you and Sam. Your intentions.”

“My intentions? Romantic. I mean, I, uh-”

The lava cooled immediately, cracking off like a clay face mask, and Paige stared at him in befuddlement. “What?”

“I, uh-” Roberto ran his hands through his hair, grimacing. “I, uh, love him. Like romantic love. So, my intentions, like you asked -- romantic. But-”

“Oh! That’s perfect!” All and any thoughts of harm and fighting fled Paige’s mind as she clasped her hands together, jumping up and down. “I’ll help -- I know Sam can be kinda dense at times when it comes to everything so of course I’ll help you get a date with him!”

“That’s not what I-”

“I promise I won’t tell him.” Paige gave him a clandestine wink and thought nothing of it as Roberto stared at her in confusion instead of winking back. “I’ll see you around!”

“Wait! Paige, wait!”

Whatever he might’ve said after didn’t matter -- Paige didn’t hear it. She skipped up the Danger Room hallway, plans boiling in her brain, any number of things that she might do to get her doofus older brother a boyfriend who loved him.

After all, he deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! as always, find me on tumblr @speedyshepherd! also did you know that brusque rhymes with husk because i hate that. english!


	3. Date Night Attempt 1

“So, I was wondering if I could take you out sometime.”

Roberto couldn’t hide his delighted grin as he looked up at Sam, even though he felt the blush creeping up his cheeks. Sam steadily avoided eye contact, instead rubbing the pages of his worn copy of _2001: A Space Odyssey_ between his fingers. His cast dangled off the edge of the bed, Roberto curled up on his other side, the door closed and the mansion quiet for now.

“Aww, like a date?

“Well-”

“Or is it just guys being dudes? Or an assassination attempt?” Roberto twisted around with a teasing smile and Sam rolled his eyes, turning to kiss his forehead. 

“I was thinking less ‘like’ a date and more ‘actually’ a date, if that’s alright. And if you’re not doing anything tomorrow ‘round eight, of course.”

“I’d clear my schedule for you but we both know I have nothing _to_ clear.” Roberto smiled, snuggling closer and doing his best to push the earlier “talk” with Paige out of his head. “It’s a date.”

_What should I tell him about Paige’s shovel talk?_ he wondered, dozing as Sam read. _Should I tell him anything at all? Wouldn’t that be kind of embarrassing?_

_I wouldn’t know,_ he reminded himself. _I don’t have siblings._

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Roberto started at Sam’s question. “Hm? Oh, for you, they’re always free. Just...I dunno.”

“That’s alright.” 

All at once it felt similar and different to the past and for a guilty second, Roberto found himself almost longing for it, though he was certain he wouldn’t trade this moment for the world -- longing not for the unspoken love but for how easily they used to interact. The sort of thing that was only truly gained over time and a mutual affinity, like when one sees another and something clicks, and even though something else had definitely clicked, Roberto wondered what had been lost.

If anything had been lost at all.

_Maybe I’m overthinking this._ ~~~ 

The next day arrived slowly, as all mornings did. The first thing Roberto was aware of was the sound of someone moving around the room, uneven footsteps and the heavy _thump_ of the bulky cast, getting closer to the edge of the bed until Roberto felt the mattress dip as Sam sat down and kissed his forehead gently.

“Hmm?” He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, Sam coming into focus above him, radiant smile like the sun. “G’morning.”

“Morning. Sleep well?” 

“Mhm.” Roberto dragged himself from under the covers, yawning, draping himself across Sam’s shoulders. “You?”

“Yup. Eurgh, you have morning breath-”

“Hmph.” Roberto stopped trying to kiss him and rolled his eyes, but their perfect morning routine was interrupted with a _clang_ that made both of them jump, the alarm blaring immediately after.

“God, what is it now?” Roberto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stole a kiss from Sam -- this time, he didn’t resist, morning breath forgotten. “See you after.”

“Be safe.”

Not being able to accompany the other X-Men into fights frustrated Sam to no end, Roberto knew, and yet he was glad that Sam stayed behind. Out of trouble, out of danger. 

Lots of complicated feelings these days, he noted. Weird.

“You’ll never guess who it is this time,” said Remy when Roberto joined him on the lawn, squinting against the morning sun. 

“Sentinels? Mojo? Purifiers?”

“Mind control.” Remy looked pissed, and Roberto couldn’t say he blamed him -- the wing currently being reduced to rubble was the one he lived in, and Roberto quietly thanked God that he and Sam had been on the other side of the mansion at the time. 

“Great. Who is it this time?”

“Only one way to find out.” Remy rolled his eyes. “Mind snagging that rebar for me?”

“Sure.” Roberto bent it back and forth until it snapped, reveling in the strength the sunlight gave him, how it seeped into his bones and erased the tiredness that came from waking up, and tossed the bar to Remy with a nod.

“Thanks.” They set off together at a light jog, neither anxious to get to the battle, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “Hey, Remy?”

“Yeah?”

“Got any tips about dating?”

Remy turned his full attention to Roberto, smirking and jogging backwards. “ _Oh?_ Might I ask who the lucky girl is?”

“Ah. A secret?”

“Wanna keep her separate from all this, huh? I respect that. Just don’t go double dipping.”

“Is that your only tip?”

“Of course not, mon ami. Lemme think.” He swung back around and kept jogging, dodging a piece of debris. “Be romantic, be attentive, shower often, keep it sexy.”

“...okay.”

“Yeah, that’s it. Works for me!” He gave Roberto an enormous grin and leaped into the fight, mindless of the fact that he was still wearing pajama pants and a distinct lack of a shirt. Roberto sighed and followed him, cringing as he picked up a piece of mansion rubble and threw it.

_That used to be a wall._

~~~

All too soon, the fight was over, the affected parties left sitting in the rubble, cradling their heads, everyone else milling around the scene awkwardly as Jean started to assemble her team to clean up. 

“Roberto, would you mind sticking around and helping?” she asked and he surveyed the damage, nervously remembering his previous engagement.

“Uhh, how long…?”

“Probably the rest of the day, sorry. But we could really use your strength to budge the pieces.”

Roberto sighed. _Sorry, Sam, I’ll take a rain check._ “Sure, Jean. No problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, please comment and find me on tumblr @speedyshepherd!!


	4. Paige Plots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update! i was on a road trip getting a dog skjflksdfjklj but i hope you enjoy this three for one special!

“Maybe just telling them would be simpler.”

At that, Paige whipped around and glared at Monet, though there was no real heat behind it and she didn’t even flinch. “ _Telling_ them would ruin it. And I don’t want to be the one to expose Roberto, you know-”

“So why not just _strongly hint_ things to Sam?” Angelo’s voice was barely audible from where he’d dropped his face into his arms, bored out of his mind, and Paige rolled her eyes.

“Sam wouldn’t know a strong hint if it danced in front of him _naked_. No, I-I gotta be subtle.” Paige stared off into the distance and clicked her tongue, her teammates scattered around her in various states of boredom. 

“Maybe set them up?” Everett suggested, looking up from where Shogo giggled, sitting in his lap. “Like, send them out together?”

“Won’t work. You know, watch Sam invite everyone else along and turn it from a date to a get-together.” Jubilee popped her bubblegum and grinned at Paige from where she lay on the couch, leaning against Monet. “You’d have better luck shoving one from behind so they fall into each other and smooch.”

“Like that will work.”

Silence fell, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, and Paige frowned. _Why get involved at all?_ she wondered. _Why not let them figure it out themselves?_

 _Because they never would,_ she answered, scowling. _It would take them like, a year to even figure it out themselves._

“Paige, maybe if you make it so they can’t bring anyone else along,” ventured Jono. “Like, spring it on them like, ‘surprise! I got you reservations and whoops, look who else is here! Bye!”

“As long as you don’t leave them to pay for it themselves,” Angelo added, looking up with a wicked grin. “If you already paid for it, it becomes an obligation to enjoy themselves _and_ they can’t invite anyone else along.”

“Why wouldn’t they be able to invite others?”

“Then they’d have to pay for the others.” Angelo shrugged as if it made perfect sense and the ideas started to come together in Paige’s head. She grinned.

“That’ll work.”

~~~

Roberto threw himself on the bed with a groan, something that might’ve sounded dramatic and over-the-top to someone else but seemed perfectly reasonable to Sam. “Listen, I’m _sorry_ I missed out on date night, I just -- you know, when the others ask you to do something-”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad.” 

That was categorically false. 

Sam was a little mad. 

Not super “make him sleep on the couch” mad, but just pissed enough to keep his eyes fixed on his book instead of acknowledging Roberto’s wild gestures, even when Roberto rolled across the mattress to get closer to him, pouting. 

“Sam.”

He flipped a page and ignored him.

“Sam.” 

Tried hard to think about how nice it was outside, however late in the night it was.

“Saaaam.”

“What?”

“You’re mad at me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.” Sam saw Roberto’s hand move in his peripheral vision and made no effort to avoid it, Roberto’s finger poking him in the forehead. “You get a little wrinkle right here when you’re mad but trying to pretend like you’re not mad.”

“I’m not _super_ mad.”

“But you are still mad.” 

“But not at _you_.” Finally, Sam looked up, meeting Roberto’s eyes -- dark brown and endless, like falling up into space, and sighed. “I’m not mad _at_ you, I’m just -- I dunno. Disappointed that we didn’t get to go out and get away from all that X-Men business.”

“I know. Me, too -- but we can reschedule, y’know. I mean-” Roberto broke eye contact and cleared his throat. “If you still want to.”

At that, Sam laughed, cupping the back of Roberto’s head and pulling him closer. “Dude. Of course I still want to.”

“Oh, good.” 

He felt Roberto smile when he kissed him and it made him smile too, even when something crashed out in the hallway and both of them pulled away and looked up warily. The fear of being discovered before either of them were ready pulled at Sam’s brain, though it wasn’t enough for him to let go of Roberto’s hands. 

“I’m gonna ignore that,” Roberto declared, adjusting until he had tucked himself next to Sam. “Probably just some X-kids knocking over one of Xavier’s grandmother’s ashes or something.”

“Be nice,” Sam chided, though he found himself snorting at the image. “You never know. It could be one of the X- _Men_.”

“I wouldn’t put it past some of them,” Roberto murmured, yawning. “How late are you gonna be up?”

“Not too late.”

“M’kay. G’night.” 

Sam envied how quickly Roberto was able to fall asleep, even though it was likely a sign of how hard he’d worked on cleaning up the mansion more than anything else -- for him, he knew even if he put the book down, sleep would elude him. Part of the fun of having a broken leg was being sidelined on everything, even cleanup duties, leaving him to essentially twiddle his thumbs and help Cecilia in the med lab while everyone else did the heavy lifting X-Men business. 

For all the times he’d wished to get away from this life, this was certainly not how he’d imagined it, nor was it as wonderful as he’d thought it might be -- though, of course, the ideal turn of events mostly involved every villain ever quitting first, rather than his friends, family, and newly acquired boyfriend throwing themselves at problems he couldn’t help with. Ideally, there would never be any need for a big superhero throwdown where people got hurt, and yet…

Sam closed his book at set it aside, turning off the light and settling into bed, Roberto still curled into his side as he stared at the ceiling and willed sleep to come, thinking idly about the future in the fugue state that predates dreaming. Whatever had caused the crash before had been settled quietly and so the X-Mansion lay quiet, and Sam could almost trick himself into thinking that he and Roberto were alone if not for someone snoring a few doors down.

_The future._

_What a terrifying concept!_ he thought, rubbing circles into Roberto’s back absentmindedly. Out of all the alternate dimensions he’d seen or heard about, the ones that claimed to be the future scared him the most. _Is it inevitable? Was it always bound to happen?_

 _It’s not,_ whispered a groggy voice in his head. _You’re thinking loudly again._

_Sorry._

_It’s okay,_ Xuyen murmured. _But nothing is inevitable, you know. If you don’t like the futures you’ve seen, start thinking about the ones you do want to see._

He felt her withdraw from his mind and sighed. She was right, as usual.

 _The future._

Roberto grumbled something unintelligible at his side and Sam looked down at him, warmth and love spreading in his chest (even as he realized his arm under Roberto’s head had fallen asleep). 

_The future is happening right now,_ he thought, watching Roberto groan and roll away when he removed his arm to shake feeling back into it. _Guess this isn’t so bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you so much for reading! find me on tumblr @speedyshepherd!


	5. The Gala

Sam wasn’t there when Roberto woke up, much to his dismay. His side of the bed was cold, the blankets askew, but his pillow still smelled like him and so Roberto buried his face into the pillow as he tried to fully wake up. 

Of course, trying to wake up while still in bed, even with the best of intentions, doesn’t always work out as well as one might like it to. 

When he woke up next, the shades were up and the room was well-lit by late morning sunlight, providing sufficient illumination for Sam to sit at the desk and do whatever he was doing. He seemed totally focused on the task at hand, not looking up even when Roberto rolled out of bed and stumbled over, draping himself over Sam’s shoulders with a yawn.

“Hi.”

“G’morning.” Roberto heard the smile in Sam’s words and kissed his hair groggily, blinking sleep from his eyes and squinting at the papers on the desk.

“What’s that?”

“More paperwork Cecilia asked for help with.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Eh.” Sam turned halfway, taking Roberto’s hand with a smile. “You should go eat something.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost time for lunch.”

“We’ll see if there’s anything left _to_ eat,” he remarked, holding Sam’s hand until he reached the door and reluctantly let go, closing the door gently behind him and making his way down to the kitchen.

_Ooo, muffins._

“Did you hear?” someone behind him said, and he jumped, dropping his muffin. It never hit the floor, much to his relief -- Monet wasn’t even looking up from her phone when she gestured and dropped it telekinetically on the counter.

“Thanks. Did I hear about what?” 

“The gala tonight. The Al-Jamil heiresses are throwing some sort of charity gala auction event.” She tossed her hair away from her face, still watching her phone. 

“Oh, that gala. I heard about it a bit ago, yeah. Why?” 

“Scott wants someone to go and network with rich people. Ms. Frost has work to do and I don’t particularly want to go on Warren’s arm, so are you going or should I plan on going alone?” Boredom dripped from every word she said and Roberto took a moment to parse through it, still feeling half asleep as he processed everything.

“Ah. I mean, sure. I guess.” 

“Good. I wanted to stand in the corner and bitch about the other guests with someone.” 

She got up and walked away, leaving Roberto with crumbs dropping from his mouth and still mildly unsure of what, exactly, he’d agreed to. He didn’t know Monet St. Croix well, only in the perfunctory way that he might know a distant teammate and/or the friend of his boyfriend’s younger sister (a tenuous association even in the closest of times), though the entire world knew about rich socialite Monet St. Croix -- _birds of a feather,_ he supposed, grabbing a few more muffins. _Standing in the corner bitching about other guests is usually what Doug and Warlock do, but it shouldn’t be too hard._

The door to the kitchen swung open, admitting two walking as one, and Roberto first checked to see there were still muffins left and then noticed who it was. _Speaking of…_

Warlock said something unintelligible, some alien language that Roberto had never heard before, and Doug replied, rifling through the pantry and completely ignoring the perfectly good muffins sitting on the counter.

“Was I not supposed to eat these?” Roberto ventured, slipping into Portuguese, and Doug looked up.

“No, that is fine. I am fairly certain those are meant to be eaten.” As always, Doug’s Portuguese was perfect in every way, if a little stilted and overly formal. “We did not feel like eating muffins, is all.”

“Okay.” 

“Self/friend, how are you today?” The way Warlock moved was usually fascinating, alien and wonderful, but Roberto found himself a little too tired to appreciate it today. 

“Eh. Tired. You?”

“Well!” A sensor popped up from the back of Warlock’s head (if he even had a head, if it could be counted as a head) and he made a soft _ping_. “Self/soul/friend-”

Again with the alien language. Roberto rolled his eyes and focused instead on his muffins, thinking about the gala Monet had mentioned. _A gala. It’s been forever since I’ve been to a gala._

“Hey, ‘Berto. Have you heard from Dani recently?” This in English, so Roberto complied, answering in English too.

“I haven’t seen her since the debriefing after Sam and I’s mission -- why?”

“No reason. Neither have we.”

“Guess Ororo’s working her pretty hard.”

“Must be.” Doug and Warlock wandered away together, the strangest of silhouettes, and Roberto brushed crumbs off his shirt, the events of the day looming before him despite the fact that the day was already half done. 

~~~

“Danger, run the course again.”

Dani gritted her teeth but didn’t complain, following Ororo through the obstacle course she’d set up, weaving and ducking and rolling right on her heels. Around them, the Danger Room hummed, all-too-real blasts leaving black starbursts on the walls around them, but despite Danger’s best efforts, both Dani and Ororo remained unharmed. 

Ororo ducked a bolt and Dani saw her chance -- she sprinted for the opposite wall and slammed the button that would end the session, bending over and breathing hard as the environment shimmered and disappeared around them. _More of a workout than Xavier or Magneto ever gave us._

“Wonderful skill, Danielle,” Ororo commented from where she’d sat on the floor. “But this session is not about skill.”

“What is it about, then?” Dani grimaced as she realized how whiny that sounded but pressed onwards regardless. “We’ve run the simulation five times -- each time, we race to the other side-”

“Do we? Do we race?” 

There was a spark in Ororo’s eyes, mischief and joy, and Dani collapsed to the floor and groaned as she realized what Ororo implied.

“It’s not a race. It’s a teambuilding exercise.”

A smile from the Windrider confirmed everything Dani suspected, and yet it wasn’t patronizing as it might’ve been from someone else. If anything, it was invigorating, prompting her to stand again and take a deep breath. 

“Cool. Danger, run the course again.”

Ororo’s smile grew with pride and this time, they kept pace, one next to the other as they sprinted across the room again.

~~~

Monet’s dress was what some might call “daringly cut,” a shade of deep red similar to her nails and lipstick, and it seemed every eye in the room was drawn to her save Roberto’s. He found himself content enough to stare at the tiny bubbles in his champagne and think about how much he wished Sam was here-

“Wishing won’t make something real.”

_Oh, right. She’s a telepath, too._

“I heard that.” Monet frowned at him. “Do you know, some men would give their left arms to take me to a gala?”

“And quite a bit more, I’ve heard,” Roberto shot back. “I am, however, not just ‘some’ man.” 

“Evidently not. And before you ask, I didn’t go prying too deep in your head. I don’t want to know what happens in your head.” She inclined her head gracefully to a passing couple and Roberto followed her lead, the two of them slowly walking around the room. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Do.” Monet stopped by the wall, nodding towards a woman in light blue on the other side of the room. “Do you know who that is?”

“Is it gonna be on the test?”

She gave him a withering look. “She’s Bryce Scott-Dearborn. Rumor has it that she took nearly one hundred thousand pounds from her father’s company and got away with it.”

“Hence the rumor part.”

“Exactly.”

Roberto craned her neck to get a better look at her, hoping that he didn’t look suspicious (and probably failing). “Did she?”

“I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to ask Ms. Frost or another telepath with desire to snoop around in some airhead media darling’s head.” Monet examined the hors d’oeuvres with disdain. “Really. There’s nothing going on in there. No surface level thoughts at all.”

“Doesn’t that set off some alarm bells?”

“Not as much as you might think. The place is full...of...them.” 

The realization struck Monet and Roberto at the same time, the screen on the wall flickering to life, nature scene replaced by an old man’s head. 

“Look into my eyes,” he intoned. “Your will is mine to control.”

“Why does this always happen?” Roberto groaned, throwing a table at the screen and bracing himself as the crowd turned on them. “Every time.”

“Probably because minor villain so and so would like money and doesn’t know how to ask,” Monet answered, kicking off her heels. “It’s just as well, anyways -- the gala was boring beyond belief.”

~~~

“What’s the _real_ reason, Paige?”

Paige did her utmost to shrug innocently, no matter how unsuccessful it may have been, and ignored the way Sam’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Does there have to be a _real_ reason? Can’t I just want to spend time with my injured big brother?”

“That’s suspicious.”

_Give him a different reason, throw him off the scent._

She sighed, as if he’d figured her out. “Okay, fine. It’s cause Jubes and I are having a competition and the restaurant is part of it.”

“What kind of competition?”

“Not an important one. I just didn’t want to go alone, and I also don’t want to ask any of the guys to come along-”

“Okay, okay. Enough said.” Sam waved her off and laughed, walking down the street as best as he could in a suit and a cast. He’d only taken along one crutch, and though she worried about him straining himself too soon too much, he seemed to be doing okay. 

What was really important was that he didn’t suspect what was about to happen.

“Here we are!” Paige stowed her phone in her clutch (borrowed from Monet with her permission -- personally, Paige couldn’t fathom having a fancy bag only large enough for a phone, but the occasion required it, according to Jubilee), and stopped in front of the restaurant, looking up with a grin.

“Very…..fancy.” Sam looked up with her, trepidation written across his face as plain as day, and Paige nudged him gently with a snicker.

“Cheer up, I’m sure it’s not so bad. Let’s go get our seats.”

Ever the gentleman their mother had taught him to be, he held the door and she went in first, resisting the urge to text Monet again. _Where are they?_

 _We’re only a minute away,_ Monet answered in her head, and Paige flinched in surprise. 

_I’ll stall him. Thank you!_

_You’re welcome._

“Paige?” 

She snapped back to herself, shaking her head and smiling at Sam, standing next to the table they’d been given with an all-too-familiar worried expression. “Sorry! Lost in thoughts for a second. Is this us?”

“Mhm.” He watched her suspiciously, warily, just like he used to when they were kids and he suspected he didn’t know the full story. “Paige, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course!” She gave him a grin and swept her dress forward, sitting down with a grunt. “Why?”

He opened his mouth to say something but behind her, the door opened and he shut his mouth again. 

“Paige.”

“Yeah?” She tried not to seem too eager to jump up and turn to face them, but she didn’t have to fake the shock on her face. “What happened to you?”

“Possessed billionaires. Don’t ask.”

“Emma called for us.” Monet didn’t beat around the pretend point, instead standing tall and daring either of the boys to challenge her. “Generation X business. Reschedule.”

“Oh, but I don’t-”

“Paige.”

_We’re pretty good actors._

No telepathic response from Monet this time, just a warm feeling that Paige interpreted as agreement, and Paige pretended to wince. 

“I’m just...oh! I know!” 

She turned to Roberto, his suit jacket thrown over his arm. “Would you mind standing in for me? We walked a bit to get here and the reservations and all that and so you can just tell me how it was after for Jubilee’s and my competition!” 

“Your what?”

“It’s perfect! Enjoy the restaurant, you guys -- see you later!” 

She gave him a subtle thumbs up and followed Monet out, both of them giggling as they rounded the corner, safe where neither of the boys would be able to see them. 

“That was perfect,” Paige snorted, linking arms with Monet and savoring the rare smile on her face. “Did you see their _faces_?”

They made a strange pair, one in her ripped red dress and the other in black, walking arm in arm down the street, but Paige found that she didn’t care what anyone else thought of her today. Today was hopefully for making her big brother happy, and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew that was a thicc chapter. find me on tumblr @speedyshepherd!


	6. Date Night Attempt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there's a brief mention of drinking/wine/being tipsy, so if that doesn't work for you, then I'll see you next week!

“I feel set up,” observed Sam, watching the two women leave. “Is it just me?”

“Not sure.” Roberto answered as vaguely as he could, panic and exasperation bubbling in his chest. _Should’ve known nothing good would come of that shovel talk._

“Well, we’re here now. May as well make the most of it.”

Roberto turned with a grin and draped his ripped suit jacket across the back of the chair, leaning across the table to take Sam’s hand. “Well, you wanted a date night…”

“True enough.” He smiled at that, squeezing Roberto’s hand. “Divine intervention in the form of little sisters.”

“Mhm.” _Divine might not be the word for it._

“Not really sure what to do at a restaurant this fancy, though.” Sam frowned at the menu. “Where are the prices…?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Roberto did his best to smile reassuringly, patting his hand. “Enjoy the moment, right?”

“Right.”

Silence stretched between them, neither sure what to talk about or if to talk, and Roberto tapped his fingers awkwardly on the table. “So…”

“So.”

Again, silence, interrupted only by the waitress, offering wine selections and recommendations, but as soon as she was gone it was quiet again, more quiet than Roberto could bear. 

“What have you-”

“What happened-”

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, no. You go.”

“No, what were you going to say?”

“What happened at the gala?”

“Aw, you know. Possessed billionaires. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Roberto flashed a grin and Sam rolled his eyes with a smile.

“And why didn’t you get possessed?”

“I had pretty good backup. Also, I’m just not rich enough to get possessed, I guess.” He gave a fake sigh, slumping in his chair, and smiled to hear Sam laugh. 

“Oh, poor you. Too poor to be possessed often, too rich to know what bananas cost.”

“Are you never going to let me live that down?”

“Absolutely not. But what were you going to ask?”

“Have you read any good books lately?” Roberto grinned slyly at him. “I _know_ you want to talk about them.”

“Hmph. But I want to hear what you have to say, too.”

“You will, I promise. But tell me about the books.”

It was worth it, Roberto thought -- he typically wasn’t one for staying quiet in situations like this one but it was worth it to see Sam’s eyes light up, his hands moving as he did his best to explain this week’s sci-fi book of interest to him. It was nothing short of adorable, and the love Roberto felt was enough for him to forget any ire he even thought of having with Paige.

Their food arrived and was eaten, the night passing by all too quickly. The topics shifted from books to movies to memories and back again, and by the time the dessert plates were being stacked and cleared away, Roberto found that his face hurt from smiling so much.

“Ugh.” Sam tried and failed to stand up, giggling, the wine making him blush, and Roberto laughed along with him as he helped him up. 

“Feeling alright?”

“Mmm. Good enough.” He fumbled for his crutch and they left together, arm in arm, thanking the host on their way out. “I hope that tip was enough.”

“You tipped them 25%. I’m sure that’s enough.”

“Are you sure?” Sam frowned, alcohol amplifying his worry. “I dunno how these fancy places work, babe. They might expect more of a tip.”

“I’m sure you’re okay,” Roberto reassured him, trying not to dwell on the nickname. “It’ll be okay.”

“M’kay.” 

The train station passed by in a blur, Sam falling asleep on Roberto’s head for a little bit, until at last they found themselves at the X-Mansion once more, though Roberto was a little unaware of how, exactly, they got there (though he distantly remembered a taxi driver and a $100 bill). 

Up the stairwell, to the left, down the hall, and through the door -- no matter if it was Sam’s room or Roberto’s room, they collapsed into the bed together, laughing, curling into each other with no regard as to who saw them anymore. Not here, not in this haven of freaks and mutants.

“I love you,” Sam murmured, pressing kisses across Roberto’s hair and forehead. “Love you, love you, love you.”

“You’re kinda drunk,” Roberto laughed, but he made no effort to pull away. “Was this every bit the first date you wanted?”

“All that and more. But it would’ve been the same no matter where we went.” Sam yawned, adjusting until he had a more comfortable position. “‘S all about the person I was with.”

He fell asleep quickly and Roberto felt himself about to follow, thoughts trickling freely through his inhibitionless mind, though only one of any great importance.

_Should thank Paige later._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! as always, catch me on tumblr @speedyshepherd -- i'm always happy to talk about comics and these fools!


	7. Date Night Attempt 3

Sam woke up late the next morning, the light of the sun drilling into his eyes and making an already throbbing headache worse. He groaned and rolled away, burying his face in the pillow, and heard someone next to him laugh.

“Oh, how the tables have turned.”

He chose not to dignify that with a response, even when Roberto came closer and rubbed his back comfortingly. “You had a fair amount to drink last night -- I’m surprised it isn’t worse.”

“‘M glad it isn’t worse,” Sam mumbled. “Why aren’t you hungover?”

“I kinda was. But I had a lot less to drink, I think. Also, you’re a lightweight.”

“Hmph.”

“Hey!” Someone knocked on the door and Sam cringed, burrowing deeper into the pillow. “Sam! Wake up, Dani wants us ready to move!”

“Coming.”

Footsteps moving away and Sam rolled over again, sighing as Roberto’s shadow fell across his face, blocking the sun. “How fast do you think Dani wants us downstairs?”

“Eh. Probably pretty fast.” 

Neither of them made any attempt to move. There was nothing to say, in a comfortable way, the silence warm and comforting instead of cold and awkward. It was the kind of moment Sam might’ve been happy to stay in all day, if he had the chance.

Again, footsteps at the door, though this time it was Warlock, not Doug. “Self/friend/Sam! Wake up!”

“I’m coming, ‘Lock!”

“Gonna steal your shirt,” Roberto informed Sam, hopping over him. “It might be a bit late to ask this, but did you have a good time last night?”

“Yeah. I, uh -- yeah. Of course. That’s probably too big for you.” Sam swung his legs out and dropped his head in his hands, waiting for the room to stop spinning before he stood up, Roberto _harumphing_ from where he stood next to the dresser. 

“I _know_ it’s too big on me, thanks. It’s fashion.”

“If Dani wants us ready to move, maybe we should show up in uniform,” he suggested, and Roberto paused.

“Oh. Yeah, good point. Unrelated, but you sounded a little...I dunno. Dissatisfied.”

“With?”

“Last night.”

“Oh.” Sam moved to stand next to Roberto, searching for his uniform, carefully avoiding eye contact. “It was -- I mean, it was _good_ , and I love spending time with you and I’m glad Paige did all that-”

“But?”

“But it wasn’t the first date I’d imagined.” Admitting that felt like both a weight off his chest and a lump of worry in his throat, like knowing the imperfections of life might make it less lovable, and Roberto bumped his shoulder.

“I mean, technically our first date was like, a school year long -- what, nine months?”

“That doesn’t count, we weren’t together-”

“Okay, fine.” He laughed and Sam smiled. “You doing anything tonight?”

“Why?”

“So we can have the quote-unquote first date you imagined.” Roberto turned, leaning against the dresser with an easy smile, the same smile Sam would likely love for the rest of his life if he had anything to say about it. “Why not?”

“Tempting offer.” He pretended to consider it, though both of them already knew the answer. “I’ll have to make sure I don’t have anything else scheduled.”

“Mhm. Well, get back to me once you know.” Roberto cupped Sam’s face in his hands, kissing him gently for just a second before losing his balance, falling into Sam with a stifled yell. “You’re too tall sometimes, you know?”

“Sorry, sweetheart. Genetics.”

His uniform didn’t fit very well around the cast on his leg, and after a bit Sam gave up, opting to go casual instead. Roberto quickly found the spare costume he kept in Sam’s room, the two of them leaving together and heading to the hangar bay. 

~~~

They took the vintage Benz in the garage and Sam drove, the road getting darker and the air getting colder as the sun went down, the two of them laughing and swapping anecdotes about Dani’s mission, a successful move against another rogue telepath with a thing for leather. The wind whipped through Roberto’s hair, chilly despite the season, and he shivered.

“Sure hope your first date plan wasn’t swimming,” he teased, and Sam laughed.

“No. Of course not. You know how good I am at swimming.”

“Not at all, right.”

He laughed and pulled into what was presumably their destination -- a grassy lot with other cars parked in untidy rows, all facing an enormous projector backdrop, people moving between other cars. Sam pulled through the makeshift ticket booth and, after a few words with the attendant, chose a spot far behind everyone else. 

“Where are we?” 

Sam grunted as he hopped into the backseat, dragging his unwieldy cast behind him and rifling through the bag of things he’d brought. “Drive in theater. They broadcast the audio over radio waves -- figured it was enough like seeing a movie together-”

“Aww. You’re an incurable romantic at heart.” Roberto laughed, joining him in the back and snuggling against him, silently thanking God that Sam had thought to bring a blanket. “Good thing we brought the convertible.”

“That was the thought.” Sam fiddled with the radio and, with the transmission acquired, balanced it carefully on the center console of the car and grabbing a bag of M&Ms from where it had been hidden in the backseat. “Not as fancy as a restaurant, but they’re showing _Moulin Rouge!_ tonight..”

“I love it. Thank you.” No standing on his toes to kiss Sam this time, and so Roberto savored it, relaxing into him until the radio crackled to life before them. 

“Good evening, and thank you for joining us at Salem Center Drive In. Tonight, our movie is _Moulin Rouge!_ , and as always, please turn off your headlights and silence your cell phones…”

~~~

“‘Berto.”

“Hmm?” Roberto pulled his attention away from the screen, leaning away so he could look up at Sam comfortably. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to leave soon? It can get kinda crowded when everyone is trying to leave all at once, and I don’t know what time you wanna be back at the mansion.”

“Oh, whatever. I mean, I want to finish the movie, and, y’know, being stuck for an extended amount of time isn’t the worst thing as long as it’s with you, so…” Roberto gave him a sparkling smile and Sam returned it in full force. “Did you need to be back at a certain time?”

“Not to my knowledge.” They settled back into each other, once again tucking the blanket back into place, Sam warm against Roberto’s side as he focused again on the movie. 

True to what he’d said, though, the grassy field where the screen was set up turned quickly to quiet chaos, every car vying for the exit at once. Sam turned off the radio and stowed it behind the front seat, accidentally pulling the blanket off Roberto, to his mild annoyance.

“Hmph. Cold.”

“Sorry. Do you want a handwarmer? I think I put a few in this car last winter.” Sam scooted forward in his seat, clearly aiming for the glove compartment, but Roberto pulled him back, an idea forming in his mind.

“Actually, I had a different thing in mind.”

He pulled Sam closer and kissed him, smiling when he felt Sam immediately relax against him, the two of them safe in the darkness beyond the headlights of the other patrons. If it hadn’t been night, Roberto might’ve mistook the heat in his stomach for sunlight -- the same burning that he felt when he flew too close to the sun now grounded him, made him want to be closer to Sam. 

They broke apart for a second, each breathing more heavily than Roberto thought they should’ve, Sam released from his awkward half-standing reaching-for-the-front-seat pose to sit back down in the back seat with a quiet _oof_.

“Can I kiss you again?” Roberto whispered, and he heard Sam laugh quietly, felt his hand on his waist before he replied.

“Of course.”

Roberto wasted no time in making good on his question, scooting across the backseat only to nearly fall against Sam, both of them giggling childishly before they found each other in the darkness again. The other cars were nearly all gone, the stars stretching above them only partially blocked by dark clouds, but Roberto reasoned that if his eyes were closed, if he was busy losing himself in Sam, he didn’t need the light from any other source.

He tasted like chocolate, smelled like bread and pine, his hands rough and heavy, and Roberto felt as if he was falling all over again, even when he pulled away, his brow furrowed.

“Did you feel that?”

Roberto grinned. “Feel what?”

“That.” Sam blinked, hard, like he’d been hit in the eye with something, and Roberto followed his gaze, looking up until a raindrop hit him in the forehead.

_Figures._

It was a race to get back into the front seat, the top whirring back into place, and no sooner then the car had been sealed up again did the rainstorm begin in earnest, a cacophony of raindrops against the roof. Sam smiled at Roberto sheepishly, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

“Rain check?”

“Horrible pun aside, you know it.”

They kissed again, this time more chaste, only for a second before Sam started the car and coasted out of the deserted lot. 

The drive home was quieter, each with his own thoughts, though Sam never let go of Roberto’s hand and Roberto never pulled away. The rain didn’t let up, either -- as they pulled into the garage, Roberto caught sight of two familiar figures sitting on the front lawn in the rain, their words inaudible to him from this far away with this much noise.

“Huh. Wonder what ‘sitting in a rainstorm’ has to do with being a leader,” Sam wondered, pulling into the last parking space and turning the car off. “Or maybe it was just to find a quiet moment in the mansion.”

“Could be either.” Roberto stretched as Sam reached for the stuff in the backseat, catching Sam’s wrist before he could get out of the car. “Hey.”

“Hey?”

“This was really good. Thank you.” 

Sam smiled, leaning close and kissing Roberto again. “Thank _you_ for going along with it.”

“Of course I would. Anything for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *coughs* yeah anyways come talk to me at @speedyshepherd! also i'm sorry but idk how to write extended kissing scenes ngksdflksdjf  
> additionally: this wasn't sponsored by mars also i was just eating mini m&ms while trying to write this


	8. Coming Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, school is starting soon for me, and since I didn't actually think I'd be doing school this year for [redacted] reasons, this is kind of a shock. I don't really want to be worrying about updating this fic during the quarter so I'm gonna speedrun the rest of the 13 chapters in the month I have left, because that's a fantastic idea that couldn't possibly go wrong.  
> ALSO! please look at [this beautiful art](https://dacostainternational.tumblr.com/post/625923977420980224/samberto-inspired-by-speedyshepherds-fic-hehe) done by @samberto on tumblr!!! warning for blood but it's post gala berto and he's never looked better. i love it. also definitely go read his fics under @soulfriend they're WONDERFUL

He guessed he couldn’t dodge Paige forever -- one week was pushing it already, and the rest of his life was probably a bit much to hope for. Unfortunately, the day of confrontation came sooner rather than later when, upon passing an empty classroom, Roberto felt himself yanked by the collar through the door and having his only salvation slammed shut before him.

“Roberto! How was the dinner? I wasn’t sure about the restaurant but it was Monet’s recommendation, and I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to check in with you. How was it?”

“It was good,” Roberto answered, willing his heart to beat slower as he tried to convince himself he wasn’t being kidnapped. “Great. Thanks for, uh, setting that up.”

“No problem! This is so much fun -- next, I bet I could do a waterpark, or -- or one of those nice dine in theaters-”

“Paige, wait-”

“See you around!” Paige gave him a shining smile and darted out the door, skipping down the hallway, and Roberto slumped against the wall with a sigh. This was starting to get out of control.

_Starting to?_ he thought, leaving the classroom and making his way down the empty hall. _It was out of control when she started doing this...whatever it is._

Seriously. It’s not like he couldn’t navigate his own dating life. 

And if it had taken him nine months to figure it all out, well -- she didn’t need to know that.

The sounds of the cafeteria leaked from the partially open doors, washing over him and sweeping the previous thoughts from his mind, more out of distraction than worry that someone might overhear him thinking. Roberto found he didn’t need to think to wander through the line, picking out a sandwich and finding his way to the table where the New Mutants usually held council, his spirits lifting when he saw that Sam was already there. 

“Anyone sitting here?” he asked with a grin and Sam raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not yet. Better snap the seat up before someone does.”

“What, you wouldn’t save it for me?” Roberto bumped his shoulder as he sat down and Dani rolled her eyes from where she sat, a few seats down with Xuyen sitting next to her.

“Self would save seat for self/friend/Roberto!” Warlock assured him enthusiastically, in the process of absorbing an entire crate of cabbages. 

“Self/soul/friend probably wouldn’t need to save a seat for Roberto,” came Doug’s voice from somewhere behind the crate, and Warlock frowned.

“Clarification?”

Dani cleared her throat and Roberto was grateful for it -- with Paige on his ass about a situation she’d basically made up, the last thing he needed was for Captain Duolingo to start analyzing his relationship. The New Mutants present at the table leaned in closer, huddling around Dani as she started talking.

“So, here’s the deal. Ororo wants to give me what’s basically a field test, which is apparently ‘go somewhere with a team and run it independently of the main X-Men team,’ and so my independent team-”

“That’s us, right?” Roberto piped up. “It better be us.”

“Yeah, of course it is.”

The others murmured in relief and anticipation, exchanging glances, and Roberto felt Sam reach over and take his hand, running his thumb over Roberto’s knuckles. 

“So, basically, do you guys wanna go live in a brownstone for a little bit? We’d be coordinating with the main team and handling other stuff, so you could probably do something else on the side, but Ororo says that Angel’s got it all ready to go if we want.”

To no one’s surprise, Sam spoke up first. “Wherever you lead, chief.”

“Like a trust fall except it’s a house,” Illyana added, frowning at the dull cafeteria knives. “Will we need to furnish it ourselves?”

“Probably, yeah.”

“I’m in.” Roberto flashed a grin at her, stealing a fry off Sam’s plate. “Angel’s money’ll run out sometime -- plus, it’ll be nice to get out of the mansion. Do we each get our own rooms?”

“Dunno, haven’t seen the brownstone yet. Doug, Warlock?”

The two conferred in hushed tones and dead languages before Warlock gave three thumbs up (growing an extra arm to do so) and Doug nodded. “Yeah, we’re in.”

“And you?” Dani asked quietly, turning to her immediate right, and Xuyen laughed.

“Couldn’t keep me away. Is this assignment for integration or is it just for an outpost?”

“I think it’s just an outpost. Ororo and Scott mentioned that they think the mansion is kind of inaccessible-”

“Wonder why they’d think that?” Roberto muttered, and Doug snorted.

“Definitely not the acres of defense systems.”

“Ahem. They think it’s kind of inaccessible and they want to, I don’t know, have boots on the ground closer to...everything.” 

“So we’ll be living on Angel’s paycheck?” Illyana asked, slicing her steak carefully with a disproportionately large and suddenly conjured sword. “For rent, food, IKEA trips?”

“I hope not.” Sam frowned. “That feels like...I dunno. Like cheating.”

“What if it was me?” Roberto offered, and Dani shrugged.

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll figure it out along the way, you know? But thanks for going along with it.”

“Anything for you, chief.” The others murmured agreement and Roberto nodded along, doing his best to push the earlier conversation with Paige away, digging into his sandwich with more fervor than was probably necessary for a sandwich of that size. 

“You okay?” Sam murmured, side-eyeing him as he stole another fry. “Your shoulders are tense and you kept squeezing my hand.” 

“‘M okay,” Roberto said around his mouthful of sandwich. “Just hungry, I guess.”

Sam didn’t look convinced but he dropped it, the others taking over the conversation and leaving the white lie burning in Roberto’s mouth. 

~~~

_So, you know your sister?_

_I have something I need to talk to you about. No, I’m not cheating on you-_

_Uh, about that first date…_

Roberto groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. Everything he came up with was worse than the next, proving that there really was no way to drop this particular bit of information short of casually plopping it in the middle of his next conversation, which would have been a truly villainous move. 

The door squeaked when it opened, the sound of the cast preceding Sam’s entrance, and Roberto sat up. “Hi.”

“Hey. You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah -- well…”

“Talk to me.” Sam took the desk chair, facing the bed, and Roberto fidgeted under scrutinizing and worried blue eyes. 

“Um. So, you know, Paige?”

“I’m aware of her.”

“I…” _What was I going to say again?_

“Did she give you the shovel talk?” Sam smiled gently at Roberto, clearly trying to put him at ease, and Roberto grimaced.

“Yeah, but then -- I, uh -- she doesn’t think that we’re -- she thinks I want to date you.”

“Well, I hope you do,” Sam said mildly, and Roberto groaned.

“Of course I do, but she thinks that we haven’t _started_ dating yet. Paige is trying to set us up.”

It took a long moment to sink in, and Roberto could practically see the events of the past month or so spinning past Sam’s mind’s eye as the truth caught up with him. Something clicked at last and Sam threw his head back, laughing.

“That explains the dinner,” he choked out, wiping tears from his eyes, and Roberto laughed along nervously.

“You’re not-”

“Mad? No, no, of course not. Why--?” Sam got up from the desk chair and stepped forward, cupping Roberto’s face in his hands and kissing him, smiling into Roberto’s lips.

“Oh, good,” Roberto said after Sam pulled away. “I was worried -- actually, I don’t even know _what_ I was worrying about-”

“It’s all okay now, though. Right?” Sam looked for affirmation and Roberto nodded, pressing his forehead against Sam’s. “We can tell her the full truth together, if you want. I know how she can get sometimes.”

“Laser focused on a goal? Reminds me a little of you,” Roberto teased, and Sam rolled his eyes.

“Actually, since I’ve got you here, I’ve got something to tell _you,_ too.”

“Oh?” The nervousness immediately returned and possibilities flashed through Roberto’s head. “What kind of something?”

“About the new thing. The brownstone that Dani was talking about.” Sam sat next to Roberto on the bed, carefully avoiding eye contact. “See, the brownstone is a bus trip away from the local community college, so I was thinking I’d go back.”

“Back…?”

“Back to college. For real this time, under my name. I-I asked Xuyen about it, she said college was fun, and -- I dunno. I guess I just always wanted to go and I don’t think that I could be an X-Man forever, you know?”

“I...I guess I’d never really thought about it.” Roberto leaned against Sam’s shoulder, felt Sam’s arm pull him closer. “Is it really what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Then we can make it work.” He poked Sam in the ribs, smiling when he squirmed away. “You’ll do great, love.”

“At the risk of sounding cheesy, I can do anything with you by my side.”

“Eurgh, that was cheesy.” Roberto laughed, pushing Sam over. “So cheesy that I’m lactose intolerant now.”

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

Roberto blew a raspberry at Sam and laughed, letting himself be pulled into another kiss. It was perfect, as more and more things seemed to be with him, and Roberto found suddenly that he wouldn’t even think about trading this -- any of it -- for any other story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! find me on tumblr @dacostainternational (i changed my url!) also there are pictures of my dog there too


	9. Moving Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, business first.  
> I've noticed a lot of new kudos from new readers, and knowing what happened recently in regards to the New Mutants, I have to come out and say it: **if you support the new mutants movie, you're not welcome here**. Sounds harsh, but hey -- that movie is built on racism and tired writing. There's no such thing as saying "fuck Josh Boone for whitewashing BUT-" because if you're the kind of person who can excuse such graphic and ever-present racism, if you can ignore _all_ the blatant problems with that movie, your place is not here. I can't stop you from reading this fic but I can make damn sure you don't feel welcome. Exit out of this tab, cause fuck that movie, fuck everyone who worked on it, and FUCK the people who support it in _any_ way, shape, or form.  
> On that note -- many long awaited chapters. This chapter was not sponsored by IKEA.

“You know, it never really occurred to me how much _stuff_ went into a house.” Roberto set the box down gently amongst its fellows and blew out through his mouth slowly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. 

“Self is curious! Self has not lived in brownstone since self was on Utopia!” Warlock seemed to be having a better time of it, particularly considering his lack of sweat glands -- he was exactly as excited as he’d been at the beginning of the day.

Possibly more. It was hard to tell.

“Yeah, well, that didn’t last.” Doug came up behind him, balancing a box that _definitely_ looked lighter than the ones Roberto had been pulling up (no problem, though -- Roberto was well aware of his status as the strongest one on the team), setting it down in the corner with a sigh. “That’s the X-Men for ya, ‘Lock -- nothing lasts forever.”

“Sometimes, that’s a good thing.” Dani set her box down beside Doug’s and elbowed him, laughing when she dodged his returning shove. “How many boxes left to unpack?” 

“I dunno. Not too many, I think.”

“Cool. We’ll see if we need to make an IKEA trip tomorrow when we unpack things -- for now, I’m gonna order pizza.” 

“We should’ve brought a telekinetic,” Roberto groaned, rubbing the twinge in his back that he’d gained when he’d lifted the couch wrong that morning. “Would’ve saved us all that _time_ and -- and _energy_ -”

“What, and robbed us of the opportunity for a little work?” The sound of shoes on the stairs heralded Sam’s arrival just seconds before he came in, leaning on the door frame and smiling. Just like the others, his shirt bore proof of a hard day’s work, but it looked _so_ much better on him, Roberto’s personal bias aside -- it just _did_. 

“Why, does it build character?” Doug groaned, clapping Sam on the shoulder on his way out, and Warlock chirped happily as he followed. 

“Self/soul/friend already has character! Define: character?”

Sam laughed as their conversation faded, coming closer and smiling down at Roberto in that way of his. “Hi.”

“Hi. How’s upstairs looking?”

“Less empty than before.” Roberto hugged him, both rocking gently back and forth, a quiet pocket of stolen time. “Looking good so far. We have three bedrooms up there but only one bathroom-”

“Yikes. Do we know who’s getting which room yet?”

“I was thinking of deferring to Dani on that one. She and Xuyen will probably take the master bedroom on the middle floor.”

“Leaving us to duke it out over the bathroom with Doug, ‘Lock, and ‘Yana?”

“Pretty much.”

“Yay.”

Sam laughed and Roberto felt him kiss his forehead. “You don’t sound very enthusiastic. It’ll be fun.”

“Wanna put money on if Illyana will teleport in if you’re in the bathroom too long?” Roberto let go and stepped out of the hug to breathe fresh, non-sweaty air, settling for holding Sam’s hand, and Sam laughed.

“Can’t be worse than having to share with Jay. He _still_ leaves old feathers in the bathtub.”

His laughter faded as they descended the stairs and Roberto squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Hey. You okay?”

“Eh.” They stopped in the middle of the staircase and Sam sat down on the steps, just before the shadow of the railing married the downstairs light, and Roberto followed suit. “I -- I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Lots of things.” Sam leaned back against the stairs, the two of them listening to their friends chattering in the kitchen. “About starting classes soon, about how lucky I am, about…”

He drifted off and Roberto leaned against him. “About….pizza?”

This, at least, got him to chuckle. “Surprisingly, no.”

“About...how to organize the entire house?”

“A little bit.”

“Oh, multitasking.” Roberto was pretty sure he knew what Sam was thinking of, but neither of them seemed to want to broach it, especially when the vast majority of the X-Men (including his own sister) didn’t know they were together, let alone his mother. “Are you thinking about…”

Sam kissed his cheek and Roberto’s thoughts flatlined, leaving him stammering and in shock, much to his own consternation and Sam’s entertainment. 

“Hey! Sam, ‘Berto, c’mere so we can order the pizza!” 

Sam squeezed his hand once before standing up, pulling Roberto with him as they went down into the light.

~~~

Xuyen looked closer at the tag, forehead furrowing. “Where’d Doug go? We might need him for this.”

“Just take a picture of it, we’ll have him translate it later,” Sam suggested, reading a different label intently. The desk he was looking at was white and fairly plain, though to Roberto’s eyes, it looked the same as several other desks near them. “Roberto, c’mere.”

Roberto obliged him, all too happy to stay close to Sam in the maze that IKEA was. He leaned into his side and looked down at the desk, ignoring the twinge of pain from yesterday’s pulled muscle. “What’s up?”

“What do you think?”

“Uh…” Truth be told, Roberto wasn’t sure. “I like how wide it is. Will it fit up the stairs?”

“I’m sure the box will. And then we can just assemble it once we get up there.” Sam shot him a grin, taking his hand as they moved away. “Never been to IKEA, huh?”

“Nah. But, y’know. New experiences, huh?” 

“Maybe we can try an estate sale,” Xuyen said doubtfully behind them, and Roberto heard her leg click as she stood up again, leaving the desk section behind them.

“Maybe we’ll get a free ghost out of it,” Dani agreed, and Roberto grimaced, leaning against Sam. 

“No ghosts?” he asked, and Roberto shivered dramatically.

“No ghosts.”

“Mmm. Hey, Dani, where’d ‘Yana go?”

As if summoned by her name (which, considering Illyana, was more likely than Roberto wanted to think about), Illyana popped up, dragging a cart full of plush dinosaurs and a single sword with a grin. Dani sighed.

“Illyana.”

“What?”

“We’re here to find desks and chairs for Sam, Xuyen, and Doug and maybe a couch if we can’t get one from the mansion. Not stuffed animals.”

“I’m not making you pay for them.” Illyana fell into step beside them and Dani rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Just don’t leave them out.”

“Hey, Illyana. How do you feel about maybe sourcing a desk from an estate sale?” Xuyen asked, and Illyana shrugged.

“Probably cheaper. We might get a free ghost with it, too.”

“That’s what I said!”

Sam chuckled quietly as he steered Roberto away, their teammates’ chatter fading to background noise behind them. “I’m sure they’re not serious.”

“They better not be,” Roberto groused. “We deal with enough bullshit without adding ghosts to it.”

“It’s okay. If we do end up getting haunted, I’ll protect you.” Sam hugged him close to his side and Roberto laughed, stumbling over his own feet.

“My own personal Ghostbuster, huh? Thank you, _meu amor_.”

“Anything. How’s your back?”

“Eh. Better,” Roberto lied, ignoring how it seemed to flare upon being mentioned. He could tell that Sam didn’t believe him, but it was fine -- it sounded as if the others were catching up to them anyways.

“If something was wrong, you’d tell me, right?”

Roberto looked up, meeting Sam’s eyes. “Yes. Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Submit all complaints to @dacostainternational on Tumblr :)  
> 


	10. On the Same Paige

They made their appointment at a place Rictor had recommended, a little brunch spot that Sam might call charming, if his mind hadn’t been occupied with other things. 

Little things. Like knowing that his classes were due to start next week and one of his textbooks had yet to arrive in the mail, like waiting for the job applications he’d sent in as soon as they’d moved in, like telling his sister that he was, in fact, already dating his best friend without her help (despite her best efforts), and hoping that she didn’t spill the beans to his mother. The same mother that may or may not completely disown him. 

Tiny, tiny things.

“We don’t have to do this,” Roberto murmured, carefully perusing a menu at his side, and Sam felt suddenly overwhelmed by love for him -- for the way the sunlight fell on dark brown skin, for the effortless way he pushed his curls out of his eyes, for the reassuring squeeze he gave Sam’s hand. “We can just...I dunno. Her matchmaking wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“No, no, the appointment’s already been made.” Sam took a breath, forcing his worries into compartments deep within his mind and barricading the mental doors. “It’s okay.”

“Sam.”

Roberto’s tone asked _are you uncomfortable?_ and said _we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to_ and _it’s okay_. Sam took a breath in to reply but before you could, Paige appeared seemingly out of nowhere and plopped down in the seat across from him, grinning widely. The opportunity was lost and Sam let go of Roberto’s hand, doing his best to mirror Paige’s enthusiasm. 

“Hi! I love the spot -- how’d you hear about it? How’s the mission? Emma wouldn’t tell me anything ‘cept that it was an assignment for Dani from Ororo-”

“It’s good, it’s good. I, uh, Paige-”

“Hmm?”

Sam was reminded suddenly of sitting on the floor in the old Guthrie home, swearing each other to secrecy as siblings do, promising not to tell Mom that the other spilled a drink on their bed after being told not to bring food upstairs, leveraging old dirt and pinky promises on little things that he didn’t even remember. 

“You -- you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“Pinky promise.”

“I…” Sam realized all in a rush that he hadn’t actually _told_ anyone about him and Roberto yet -- Dani and Xuyen knew, of course, because they’d had the good sense to talk each of them into their confession, and Cecilia knew, but no one else knew _officially_. 

Sam wished it didn’t feel so much like standing on the edge of a cliff.

“Roberto and I. We’re dating, but-”

Paige barely contained her cheer, rocking back in her chair before slamming down again and grabbing his and Roberto’s hands, bouncing up and down excitedly. “I’m so happy for you! Was it the dinner? Oh, I bet Momma’s gonna be so _happy_ -”

“No, no, promised not to tell, remember? And Paige, we, ah-” Sam coughed and looked to Roberto for help.

“We’ve been dating for a while, actually,” Roberto said, squeezing Sam’s hand in acknowledgement. “I was trying to tell you, but-”

“But I didn’t listen. Oh, no…” She slumped in her seat and Sam swallowed a laugh, mindful of hurt feelings even as he leaned forward earnestly.

“Don’t be sad, Paigey. I mean, the dinner you set up for us was nice.”

“We know you meant well,” Roberto added.

“And technically it _was_ our first date.”

“So little time when the X-Men are being attacked, you know.”

“We have you to thank for that.” Paige looked up and smiled softly, and Sam couldn’t help but beam back. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. I’m -- _sniff_ \-- I’m happy for you guys, you know?” Paige squeezed his hands once and let go, dabbing at her eyes carefully. “Whoof. Anyways. Have you told anyone else?”

“Not officially. Cecilia knows, Dani and Xuyen know-”

“Doug probably knows with his whole ‘I read body language’ thing,” Roberto piped up helpfully. “And whatever Doug knows, Warlock knows too.”

“Okay. Are you gonna, y’know, tell Momma and Jay and the others?” Paige asked, and Sam exchanged a glance with Roberto.

“Maybe.”

_Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe Momma will freak out, maybe she won’t, maybe._

Paige didn’t press the issue, for which Sam was grateful, and they passed the rest of the brunch with lighter conversation topics, laughing together until the check came and Sam snatched it away from Roberto before he could slide his card in the folder.

“Hey!”

“Ah, ah, not this time. My treat.” 

Roberto rolled his eyes and Paige giggled, shoving Roberto’s shoulder playfully. “He does that _all the time_ , you’ll just have to get used to it. One time, when we were younger-”

“Gonna stop you there,” Sam interrupted, but he couldn’t help laughing with relief at the sight of his sister and his boyfriend getting along. “Save the embarrassing stories for a little bit, please?”

“Not for long.” Paige winked at Roberto. “I have to get back to the mansion -- see you around?”

“Of course.” Sam hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead, and smiled to see Roberto caught off guard when she hugged him goodbye too before she left, waving goodbye until she was out of sight.

“Can’t wait to hear those embarrassing stories,” Roberto joked as the waitress returned Sam’s card. “Maybe see if they’ll pull out pictures, too.”

Sam groaned. “We’ve known each other since we were, what, fifteen?”

“Fourteen, for me.”

“Right. Don’t we know enough embarrassing things about each other already?”

“Mmm. Depends.” Roberto leaned into Sam’s side as they left the outdoor dining area behind, making their way slowly down the street. “See, I don’t have siblings, so I’m safe -- but I want to know about you.”

“Ugh.”

“I promise, there’s nothing so bad that I won’t love you after hearing it, _querido_.” 

Sam smiled, rolling the unfamiliar word around in his mind for a second. “Trying out names?”

“Eh. Something like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! find me on tumblr at @dacostainternational!


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